Life can feel like a bubble – bigger than normal, floating freely – and we like this, until it POPS!. Then it’s a scramble to pick up the pieces. When I’m trying to collect pieces to put it all back together, I realize it can’t be re-created. I want to not regret what I didn’t appreciate. We only get each moment once. I get caught up in trying to do everything right, I don’t appreciate every day moments enough – until they POP!, then I want them back.

This thought process is based on a post from a few years ago, interestingly I find I’m still asking some of the same questions and have added more. At the time I wrote the first post, I was just three months into school {thankfully I had no idea how many more why’s would be popping up!:-D} You know there is a reason we don’t know the future, that He gives us the strength through Him we need for each day – not for yesterday or tomorrow, but today.

This morning I was thinking about the article I read and wrote about then. That is why I am kind of re-posting/re-writing that post. So much is the same, yet different. Like I said, I have many of the same questions still unanswered since that day; just over two years later the only answer I can come up with: We are human. We are flawed. We make poor choices. God made us in His image, but gave us free will. It is our journey of life. I’m so thankful for a patient, merciful, gracious, and loving Heavenly Father.

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Life is full of so many “Why?‘s”. Life hurts. Life doesn’t go the way we think it should – in so many ways. Life can be fun. Life can be easy. But it isn’t always. We have no promise of easy or fun – so why do we think we need more? I have had several “Why?” questions in many aspects of life. My life. Other’s lives…

Even though so often our Why’s are more life determining, often we won’t ever know the answer.Why? I have to believe all of my Why’s? sound like an awful lot of whine to my Heavenly Father – but He still listens and He hears me. Unlike me, I tell my children, “I can’t hear whine”. I’m so glad my Heavenly Father listens to my “whyne”.

I am going to write out the beginning of a particular article, and a couple phrases from the ending. It is written towards homeschool parents, but is so true for any one – parent, child, adult, single, married – it doesn’t matter. Our relationship with Christ is ours alone – not for anyone else, ever. It is our responsibility to make time for this relationship. He is always there.

Life doesn’t stop just because you start homeschooling. Sometimes we wish everything else would go away so we could concentrate on the educational tasks before us. Wouldn’t it be great if our clothes suddenly never needed to be washed or mended? If meals just appeared on the table? And better yet, wouldn’t it be wonderful if no one got sick or had financial struggles or felt sandwiched between caring for two generations of family at once? Then, we tell ourselves, we would have time for planning all those creative lessons and grading all those papers we’ve assigned.

But that is not how our wise and loving Heavenly Father has designed things. In His wisdom, He custom designs the events of our days to grow us into the image of Christ. How would we learn patience if no one ever did things that frustrated us? How would we learn to trust Him if we never experienced want?

God is the ultimate homeschool teacher. He individualizes a curriculum for each of us, carefully selecting experiences and people that will draw us closer to Him. There are even pop quizzes and big tests along the way.

Unlike our children, we have the option to ignore His assignments or do them in our own way instead of in a way pleasing to Him. His goal is mastery learning; He will take us through a lesson as many times as necessary to help us learn what we need to know.

…

The more times we refuse to learn, the tougher it gets. Rebellion reaps its own reward.

…

God is building a unique life message in each of us, using our experiences, temperament types, and spiritual gifts to advance the kingdom of Christ on earth through us in unique ways. No one else has exactly the same life message to share as you do. God doesn’t use cookie-cutters to make us or to design our curriculum. [Washburn, M. (Sept/Oct 2009). Homeschooling through difficult times. Home School Enrichment, #41, 48]

We will always have why’s in our life. Some we will get the answers to. Many we won’t. But when we have Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we have hope. Hope for a new beginning.

But the joy for the Christian homeschooler is in remembering that we get a fresh start with every new day. As the author of Lamentations said, “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Hang onto that promise as you work through the daily challenges of life on earth. (from the same article, page 49)

I am so thankful I have a Heavenly Father who has so perfectly orchestrated my life individually, to work together with others as a whole – for His good purpose. I don’t have to understand wh, I just need to rest in Him. He does not fail.

Noun: pal; ally; somebody emotionally close; acquaintance; advocate of cause (from MSWord for Mac) and I just have to add this – it cracked me up!… “8. Verb: to add (a person) to one’s list of contacts on a social-networking Web site” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/friend)

I have to say I am surprised by the definitions I found. I expected something along the lines of

(noun): common interest, spending time together, a person

you enjoy and choose to spend time with

(verb): be a (friend), to extend kindness, to be gracious to another.

Regardless of my new knowledge on the definition of friend – I consider you, my fellow blogger, a friend – whether you read blogs or have your own blog. Even though I have never met you. I do believe I have more in common with many bloggers than I do with most on my facebook friend list. Interesting.

Anyway, I am going to start a series on Monday sharing, as I would with a friend, one of my all time favorite books. I love books. I am one who is usually reading several books and magazines at the same time. It will be a way for us to enjoy a hot drink and visit together. I’m going to call it Book Break…

I read mostly historical fiction and books meant to encourage us in our personal walk with our Heavenly Father. There are two books I consider life-changers for me – Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge and Do You Think I’m Beautiful? By Angela Thomas.

Why all the rambling about friends and books? {and yes, books are my friends too} Because I want to share, in detail, about what I have learned about me as a woman from these two books. I am going to start with the book Captivating, because that is one I am re-reading right now. I don’t normally re-read a book – however, I have lost track of how many times I’ve read these two. {I know it is 5+ times over the last 7 years for Captivating, and 2+ times over the last 3 or 4 years for Do You Think I’m Beautiful?}

Captivating was the first book in my life that helped me understand me. I understood well having conflicting thoughts and emotions, but I didn’t understand why. I am someone who likes to understand the big picture – in fact, I have a hard time when I have to operate in a small portion of the whole.

~~~

This “book study” of sorts will be me pulling several quotes from each chapter, one chapter per week. I would encourage you to get the book and read the whole thing on your own. I would LOVE to “discuss” this via comments (unless you would rather a linky party). By discuss I’m not saying right/wrong, but “what this means to me” type of discussions.

We are all in different places in our lives, we may not even share the same belief; however, I will be coming from the platform of – we are all women, created individually and uniquely by a loving God to have a personal relationship with Him. {Note: I’m not trying to be exclusive on the gender of blog readers. I realize anything online is allowed to be read by anyone. If you are reading and you are not a woman, then you will learn lots about how we think and feel :-D.}

A couple parameters for this discussion:

First of all – in order to have a discussion, you will have to post what you think. Otherwise this will be just me posting interesting thoughts & quotes meaningful to me. Please don’t leave me hanging :-D! {read as: I’m feeling really insecure right now!!} I know I have read many blogs without ever posting. I understand, really I do. I have had reason to not want to be “found” by those I’d rather not be sharing intimate parts of my life with. If this is a concern for you, please – email me privately and I will post your comment without identifying information.

Secondly, I would imagine just as with anything, we are not all the same. We have come from different circumstances, life experiences, and have different reasons for reading/participating in blogs. It may be as simple as this book doesn’t touch you in the way it touched me, or might someone else. Let’s all remember to be friendly to each other, extend kindness and be gracious to each other.

I don’t want to give the impression this is the only way it is, that it is the end all-be all on everything woman. I’m truly just sharing a book I have found helpful to me in hopes of encouraging you.

Let’s start now…How about you – Do you enjoy reading? Do you read more than one book at a time? Do you have a preference – real books vs. e-books, or real magazines vs. magazines on an e-reader?

My answer to the above :-D: Right now I am reading three real books, four e-books, two enjoyment magazines, and multiple issues of two magazines for learning. I am partial to real books. I love paper. I love the smell of paper and color, whether on paper or material. I love colorful, paperback covers. I like to feel and touch the paper, the covers, and material. {I thought the Nook Color would help me like the e-book experience…it didn’t, oh well, have to change with the times, I’ll deal. :-D}

Disclaimer: I have not been compensated for any of these statements. I personally own both books, have never been contacted by either author or anyone on their behalf. I also personally own, by my decision alone, a Nook Color. All statements made by me are my own belief. {now I’m taking multiple deep breaths & pushing public, **edited & republished, to add my pretty “perfect place for a friend visit” picture**}

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